Man, Chester! Alex's Mission Adventures: Forces of Light

November 21, 2016
Be a Light

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

This week we had zone conference , and it was absolutely amazing! It was ALL about light, and how WE can be lights this Holiday Season. I'm not going to lie, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Christmas lights. They are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Christmas lights can take an ordinary bare tree and transform it into a spectacular holiday treasure. As I have pondered that this week, I realized that is exactly what Christ has done with each and every one of us. We are these " ordinary " things, but through Him, as we try to be like Him, we obtain the Light of Christ...which I believe to be THE most beautiful light of all. Like a flame in the wind, you must protect your light in order to share it. President Monson said in the April 2015 General Conference, "Those things which make us different from most of the world also provide us with that light and that spirit which will shine in an increasingly dark world."

Probably one of the most challenging parts of navigating life is guarding our light and not allowing the wind of the world to extinguish it. The ancient prophet Helaman taught, “It is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).The difficulties we face are only going to get more challenging. Sheri Dew said,

The last days are not for the faint of heart or the spiritually out of shape. There will be days when you feel defeated, exhausted, and plain old beat-up by life’s whiplash. People you love will disappoint you—and you will disappoint them. You’ll probably struggle with some kind of mortal appetite. Some days it will feel as though the veil between heaven and earth is made of reinforced concrete. And you may even face a crisis of faith. In fact, you can count on trials that test your testimony and your faith.---Sheri Dew, 2003

"Now the glorious but sobering truth is that, in spite of your aeons of premortal preparation, the days ahead will at times “wrench your very heart strings,” as the Prophet Joseph told the Twelve (in John Taylor, JD 24:197). If you’ve hoped to passively, comfortably live out your lives, let me burst that little bubble once and for all. Now, please, do not misunderstand me: This is a magnificent time to live! It is a time, said President Spencer W. Kimball, when our influence “can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times” (“Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters,” Ensign, November 1978, 103)." - Sheri Dew, 2003

IT IS BECAUSE of the darkness that our light shines brighter and brighter!

I'm going to challenge you to let your light shine through service this season. Check this out!! Take a picture or video of it and post it with the hashtag, #LightTheWorld.

One way we let our light shine this week was we entered a float in the Concord Parade this past Friday. The float was AWESOME! Lots of people loved it! The only casualty was my thumb as I hammered it building the manger. It was an amazing experience to hear people who were excited to see a float dedicated to the true meaning of Christmas! We gave out over 1,000 Christmas cards at the parade.